Prophecy of the Nexus

Chapter 17

Marcus and I barely spoke about the Master's council meeting that week. The arrogance of the whole situation still dumbfounded me. It was clear the Masters didn't like Grandmaster Hera, yet they followed without question. Even a new Squire like myself could see something didn't add up here. And it was clear that Sir Atticus wasn't taking this lying down. Over the next week, patrols seemed to increase, and I noticed many of the Arknights were armed all the time. How Sir Atticus had the power to do that, I didn't know, but his influence certainly had an effect. Whatever the case, though, Sir Atticus was expecting something and intended to be ready for it. And therefore, so did I.

I spent my free time at the shooting range with Marcus. My aim was getting better, mainly thanks to Marcus's instructions. I had decided that my primary weapon would be my blessing, but as a backup a standard Strike x-seventeen rifle and handgun would be my speciality. When I aimed at the target, I always imagined Grandmaster Hera's smug face on the target. It helped me aim better.

Sir Atticus didn't summon us for the rest of the week. He was too busy preparing for what was to come. Also, he had the air around him of someone who didn't want to be talked to. He was vacant in conversations, and he ending chats quickly, stating he had to be off. "I'm worried about him," I told Marcus on Saturday, walking back from the shooting range. "He's never been this quiet before."

"He has with me," Marcus said. I looked at him. "Whenever someone mentions Meredith, he kind seizes up and goes quiet. He'll come out of it in a few days." I nodded. I couldn't imagine how traumatic that meeting must have been for Sir Atticus. Being humiliated in front of the Masters about losing an old friend. Grandmaster Hera bring up Meredith was cruel, and I hated her for it. It had done nothing to deal with my situation. That had fallen to Sir Atticus's shoulders. "So, what are your plans for the afternoon," Marcus asked.

"I'm heading back to the Matrix," I said. Marcus rolled his eyes. "Hey, my blessing training is very important."

"And it is," Marcus said, giving me a look. "If you were doing any blessing training and not looking up things." I felt heat under my cheeks and looked away. He was, of course, right. Sir Petra had been busy helping Sir Atticus and the other Arknights prepare. She hadn't had time to train me. So I had headed to the Matrix and looked through the documents on previous Masters. I wanted to know more about this Sir Heath. His mark of achievement was nothing to sniff at. He had been an excellent tactician in his day and was at the forefront of studying demons and their weaknesses. I found a lot of files that praised Sir Heath in his youth, but as he got older, the trail went cold. I decided not to correct Marcus and planned to do some blessing training just to spite him.

As we entered the main complex, someone shouted at us. "Marcus! Sara!" We turned to see Lex running towards.

"You're back earlier," Marcus said as she skidded to a halt in front of us. As she was panting, I noticed animal scratches on her arms. The farmers' life must be an interesting one.

Lex straightened up and glared at Marcus. "You should talk. Sir Iris said you've been back a week. What happened? And why is there so much security all of a sudden?"

Marcus looked around and beacon'd Lex over to behind a supply shed. We were isolated enough that Marcus felt confident enough to speak. "Don't say anything to the others, but demons attacked us." Lex shook her head in surprise, but before she could ask, Marcus continued, "but that's not the only thing. We found someone tampered with Sara's Aurelian Trials, and Sir Atticus thinks something big is coming."

Lex looked between Marcus and me, trying to find the joke in all this. But there was no joke. "Well, do the Masters know?" She whispered.

"Yes," I hissed. "They don't believe Sir Atticus."